Ine runs MdS

Reflections on MdS 2011

2011-08-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

For me, MdS 2011 was a struggle. Don’t get me wrong – I loved being there, I loved the people, I loved the atmosphere, I loved my tent-mates, I loved the vast plains we crossed, I loved the black rocks and I loved the dunes. But I struggled.

This year when I finished I cried. I have experienced other races when I thought I would be so overwhelmed that I would cry, but I actually never have before. This time I cried because for once I felt that I had plumbed the depths of my resolve, into my heart and soul, to pull out this race finish.

If you are reading this, then you probably know that I had a baby last year. He had his first birthday on our first day on the bivouac.

Kees is my first child and I never imagined what a difference he would make to my outlook on life. I never imagined how much I would miss him and Byron (my husband) while I was away!

One of the reasons I wanted to run MdS again this year was because I felt like I was ‘just’ a stay-at-home mum and that I needed the chance to get out and be myself again. What I discovered was that ‘myself’ now isn’t the same ‘myself’ that I used to be.

To be fair – most of the new self is unchanged. What has changed is my focus, and so instead of being able to concentrate on myself throughout the race, I had to learn how to finish a tough 250k in the heat and sand, carrying all my own food and supplies for a week, while all the time thinking about what the ‘boys’ would be doing at home. That is much harder than it sounds.

It didn’t help that I wasn’t fit enough (reminder – next time, TRAIN) but I stayed within my capabilities and came out of the race in great shape.

Each day was an adventure. The stages were varied and we had an amazing array of terrain to cross. The second half of the week was really hot (you know it is hot when even I am saying it is hot). The ‘rest day’ after the long stage was BAKING. I was glad to be in my tent, but not so glad that the tent was a black blanket not very far above my head. All you could really do was stay lying down to stop your brain from cooking.

I found the long stage, well, long. 82km, and I really struggled mentally until CP3. I had convinced myself that CP3 was halfway (although it wasn’t really) and every step from the start until that point was difficult for me. It was also very hot. I remember approaching CP2 and thinking how nice it would be to change my hot water (that I had been carrying in the sun) with cooler water from the CP. I was VERY disappointed when I got my allocation and it was almost as hot as the stuff I had been carrying! Honestly, that water was hotter than I have a shower.

I made it to CP3 and from then on it was easier. I cruised in and out of the next 3 CPs (and 44k) with little difficulty, and my pace picked up. I found some old friends and made new ones in the dark that night – it was really great. My three bestest tent buddies (Jay, Ricky and James) and I had the tent to ourselves that night and there was much giggling over our adventures during the day.

The marathon stage was also tough – it was hot and there was a lot of flat sand (my nemesis). I think I must be about the only person who dreams of huge plains of black rock roasting in the sun – so much better than the sand!

Thankfully, I had wonderful tentmates that were hugely fun and entertaining. There were times that we were laughing so much we were keeping other tents awake at night. Ricky, the First Nation, French Canadian and his stories about his foot-in-mouth friend, James and his MdS gag ideas, Jay and his war stories from races like MdS and the Jungle Marathon. And on the other side of the pole, Gael, Ali, Antony and Adam – all too funny and wonderful companions. Thanks again to Ali and Adam for the hot water! Next time I will definitely carry a stove. Or at least some fuel tablets. No more relying on the sun to heat my dinner in a ziplock bag for me! Foul.

So all in all, it was great, but difficult. My achievement this year was very personal. I am only an average runner, middle of the pack, so it is never about winning for me, but rather about the journey. This year I was the proudest of myself that I have ever been.

But most of all, I want to thank my family for supporting me in my crazy adventures. Thank you Byron for being the most loving, supportive and encouraging partner I could ever ask for. You lift me up and enable me to achieve heights that I never imagined possible. Thanks to my parents who stepped into the childcare breech without complaint. And thanks to Kees for providing me with inspiration, motivation, and just for being the cutest baby in the world!

And thanks to everyone who followed my adventure, and particularly those who supported and encouraged me throughout the race – I couldn’t have done it without you!

Post-race festivities

2011-08-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, my 2 days in Ouarzazate were great before flying home. Proper food. Clean. Beds. A selection of clothing. What bliss!

On Saturday night I met up with the ‘crew’ for dinner, and then second dinner (like a hobbit) and then off to bed at a reasonable time.

On Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast, followed by a walk down to the hotel where the MdS Boutique was set up to shop and pick up my FINISHERS t-shirt and for the awards ceremony. Most of my buddies had to stop off at the Doc Trotters clinic to have their feet tended to again :)

The awards ceremony was fun, if mostly in French. After the ceremony, somehow was honoured to be invited back to Touda Didi’s home (2 x womens winner) for lunch. It was great – the Moroccan boys were there – Mohamad and Lahcen Ahansal, Samir and Lhoucine Akhdar and Rachid Elmorabity(this year’s winner). Touda Didi of course, as well as some Frenchies including Laurence Klein (this year’s womens winner) and Damien Vierdet (4th place). Jay-B was there (so I had at least one person to talk to in English) and we all enjoyed homemade Tagine and Couscous. Sooooo good.

Afterwards Samir took me shopping for my new, genuine, all-the-way-from-the-Ouarzazate-market Tagine, where we met up with some of my tent-mates and Samir provided a great haggling service for all our shopping needs.

Later that night we headed to the local Discotheque where we danced all night and only just made the bus to the airport in the morning! The disco is amazing - filled with runners and all their war wounds, race officials as well as a smattering of tourists, wondering who all the strange people are, dancing around on bandaged feet.

As usual, for me, the best part of any trip is experiencing the local culture, so my friendship with the Moroccans plays a big part in my highlights.

Stage 6 - FINISHED!!!

2011-04-09T15:52:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Well, just a lazy 17.5km today to the finish line. I managed to make it in one piece, uninjured and still with only the remains of one blister on my right foot. Compared to some of the people I see hobbling around here I am extremely fortunate. Of the 15 0r so Aussies, 4 guys had to drop - one got a stomach bug and crashed in his tent on day 2 (before even started). He needed a couple of IVs to get his hydration back up, but by that time he had missed the start of the stage. The other three had really bad infected blisters on their soles - they all look pretty miserable. All of the Aussie chicks managed to finish though! Today we had a pretty straighforward run to finish in a town. It was amazing to have all the locals cheering you on through the 4 or so kms through the streets to the finish. Almost as amazing as the cold coke at the end! However, we all agreed that the most dangerous part of the entire race was the bus trip back to Ouazazate... we had to travel up the most amazingly steep, rocky mountain, where if the bus had gone over the edge it wouldn't have stopped rolling for a very long time. This went on for 15km at least, and most of the bus had to draw the curtains to avoid looking down :) It was another amazing experience for me. Completely different to 09 but still excellent. They days were long, sandy and very hot for the 2nd half of the week (once the sand had cleared from the sky and the sun could get in!). My tent mates were brilliant - there was much laughter and we all had a great time together. My Moroccan friends again did well. Mohammed was knocked off by his friend Rashid who is the new champion. Samir came in 6th I think and Lhoucine 12th or so. I think they finished first team though, which is great for them. More updates to follow - I am off to bed now for a nice sleep in clean sheets after a decent, not freeze-dried, meal. How wonderful! ine xxx

marathon satge

2011-04-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

Well, hardly a marathon pb, but I certainly managed to finish today faster than I anticipated. Again, considering my lack of training, I am very, very happy with my progress. By next week I should be fit enough to run the race! I have held up well and the body is in good shape - hopefully better than when I started :) Today was a great mix of terrain, with climbs, flats, sand, an oasis, a town and loads of little kids running with us for parts. It was hot, particularly towards the end where we ran over a vast open plain covered in black rocks. I was very excited to see the giant silver teapots (yes, teapots) that mark the bivouac at least 3/4 hour sooner than expected. 2morrow is a 17k final leg, and then it is all over. I can post some more stories once I get back to town. Today is our last day to receive race emails, so dont send any more. Thanks to everyone for their support - it has been great!

Wish me luck for the finish :) ine

long stage

2011-04-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I have survived the long stage - 82k in a bit over 16hrs I think. VERY happy. Yesterday was hot - 45 according to the staff here, so I took it easy for the first half until the sun went down. Then of course you have to take it easy because it is dark and you have already done 50k. The course was hard, with a mamoth climb, dunes and a massive dired up lake (which wasnice). The dunes were close to a villiage and when it got dark kids stole the glo-sticks marking the course so loads of people got lost. Luckily a local guided me to the CP. It is all good tho- I feel fine and only have 1 blister still from day 1. Today we are laid up in the tent (which is HOT) watching to see just how close to the bivouac people will pee and crap. I guarantee it is closer than you think! Clothes are also interesting... nothing but undies and anti-chafeing tape seems to be popular. There are also loads of blue plastic booties for people with open blisters.

Marathon stage 2morrow! i x

Hi everyone! Just got my emails for the past 2 days... thanks so much 4 the messages and birthday wishes! Today (for you) will probably be the last day you can email me via the race, so after that I will be back on ine_kuiper@hotmail.com. Today was very hot and I thnk tomorrow will be the same. The marathon course looks very tough which equals slow. Today we have had much fun watching people strip naked to wash themselves, like 5m from their tent. Unbelievable. On stage 3 I discovered that my tent-mate Ricky, was carrying his own tent!! We have persuaded him to drop it so his pack is now 1.5kg lighter. He thought it would come in handy if caught in a sandstorm. He only carried it for 110km :) my tent crew is great but as I am the only aussie they keep making fun of my accent- as if I have one! Next update after tomorrow's stage. thanks again, ine xxx

Third stage

2011-04-06T05:13:00.000-07:00

38km today, and about 30km of soft sand. Torture.

When we were out of the dunes we were running in flat sandy valleys. Such hard work. There was one amazing climb up a massive rock mountain, and despite being a mamoth climb,it was great just to have a break from the sand! one of today's highlights for me was running through a village and having these beautiful little girls hold my hand and run with me. So sweet. I had an upset stomach today, which limited how much I could eat, and hence my energy levels. I hope I am feeling better tomorrow - I am trying to work my way through some bland foods tonight, so I will see how that goes. Long stage tomorrow, 81km, so you won't be hearing from me until the day after.

Thanks so much for the emails! Wish me luck for tomorrow... ine

second stage

2011-04-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Last night the wind came up and nearly blew the bivouac down.

Today was no improvement. Sand everywhere and glale force winds all day. Apart from that the stage was great. I took it easy (as I want to go into the long stage in goodshape) and had fun chatting to a few people along the way. I spent most of the stage with Tim from the UK,and also Mike from canada who helped me through the dunes yesterday. I feelreally good today, which is probably because there was only about 6km of dunes - much better! Now we r bunkering down in our tents trying to limit the sand in our clothes, food, sleeping bag etc. not much luck so far. Thanks for yesterday's emails-it was great. Caroline and Anton - I really miss you both!

Would you believe there is talk of rain tomorrow? Jay says I'm a jinx...

First stage completed

2011-04-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

Well, stage 1 is done and dusted. 12km of rock and then 13km of DUNES. Then 7kms of rock to the finish. It was a tough day. 3 hours in the dunes with your pack at its heaviest is not a barrel of laughs... I really need to change where I put my food etc to make it easier to get on the run. But the dunes are unbelievably beautiful. They are massive - really sand mountains, not dunes.They are so golden and the sky behind them is so blue it is just like a movie set. Buggers to cross though! I finished in just under 7 hours, which I am happy with given the toughness of the stage. Tomorrow is longer but with only 3km of dunes.

Yay! Off now to rest.

7 kilos!

2011-04-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

So this morning we are getting picked up in the busses and heading out to the first bivouac, which means that this will be my last post before the race starts (unless there is a flood. Again.). Bus ride today, check in tomorrow and then start the first stage on Sunday. I packed everything up yesterday into my pack and weighed it at an amazing 7 kilos! That makes me officially one of the lightest packs in our group and the envy of many of the other competitors. Muwah, wah, wah, wa. My main weight saving comes from the food, which I have strictly capped at the minimum 2,000 calories a day. Aside from that, almost everything has come out of its original packaging into a ziplock bag. To give you an idea of how far this goes, I even have my sunscreen in a ziplock bag. Well, actually I have double bagged it, just in case… I thought the extra weight of an extra ziplock was well worth avoiding having sunscreen over everything! Aside from the pack success, I am feeling very under-trained and apprehensive about the race. Hopefully my conservative race strategy (constant forward movement is my motto. Note, no mention of speed…) plus my light pack will save me from dying in the desert and ending up a desiccated corpse under a sand dune. I will be very happy with just a finish, so I am gunning for any spot in front of the camels I have met a great bunch of people here (all much fitter than me!) and we have been meeting up in town for our meals… mostly at the same place since we all ate there on the first day and haven’t got sick, so we figure it is a safe bet. Most of our group are Aussies and Canadians, with a couple of Kiwis thrown in. Ouarzazate is a lovely town. It is funny here that many of the shops are closed during the day and only open for a few hours at night, when the town really comes alive. All the locals come out and mingle in the square; there are kids playing soccer and parents doing their shopping. It is really amazing. Well, that is about all I have to report for now. Please don’t forget to email once the race starts – go to http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php and click on the link to contact a competitor that should be appearing soon. I am not sure if it will come up before the actual start or not, but just keep an eye out. Emails are a real highlight, so it would be great to hear from you! ine x

Starting to get organised

2011-03-31T01:38:00.000-07:00

So, I have almost prepared all my food and pack ready for depature to the first bivouac tomorrow. Today Jay is running a seminar on backpacks, so hopefully I will be reminded of some things that will cut my pack weight even further. As it is I already have one of the lightest, so hopfully it will stay that way! Yesterday I had lunch and dinner in Ouazazate. I had a delicious tagine for dinner... yummmm! The food here is so nice and so cheap! And when you order a fruit juice, they go and squeeze it for you fresh. Fantastic. Not much else to report just now - I'll update again before we head out tomorrow morning with details of how to email during the race etc. ine x

Arrived in Morocco again!

2011-03-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I am here in Ouazazate. The flight went well - I met up with 3 Aussies in Dubai and we all travelled together on from there. We had an 9 hour transit in Casablanca, so we all lobbed down to the airport hotel and had a great afternoon drinking beer (250ml Heinekens - or 'throwdowns' as we called them) by the pool. I met up with Jay (the CHAMPION organiser of the US/Aus contingent) at Casa airport, and was picked up at the airport by Mohammed Ahnsal - 4 x winner and good buddy from my last visit. Today I am re-packing all my food into ziplock bags and calculating the calories. Hopefully I will be at a decent weight by the time I have finished with it! More updates to come soon... ine x

FINISHED!

2009-04-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry! I sent an email when I finished, but I think I wrote the address wrong. The final stage was great - classic marathon at 42.2k. It was really good terrain, with dunes, flats, steep climbs and decsents and an final 3k flat run to the bivouac to finish. Anton and I ran togehter again and finished flying the Aussie flag (well, Aussie flag sarong anyway) which was really great. I think I ended up in the top half of the field and about 28th in the womens, which is very exciting!!! Thanks to everyone for the emails - they have really been great, if delayed in receiving them. They really spurred me on and were extremely encouraging. Sorry for the generic updates, but we were limited for characters as well. To answer a few questions quickly - no, it was not too hot, the sleeping mat did NOT get cut from the pack list, I hardly have any blisters, my tent mates were great, I had running buddies the WHOLE time (and a few comments on my ability to talk incessently while I run :)). We are not back in OZZ, showered and about to go to dinner. It was really nice to wash the dirt off and a) use a toilet, and b) not worry about how much paper I am using when I go to the toilet! I finished yesterday a bit before 3pm, and then spent the next 4 hours cheering in everyone from our 'team' - the Aussies, US, NZ etc. It was great to see some of the guys finish with injuries and SMASHED feet. I have too many stories to tell now (you see people do the most amazing things here - both good and bad) so will write a better report when I get time. The good news is that Mohammed Ahnsal WON, and my best friend Samir finished stongly yesterday for a 5th place :) We told him that whatever he did he needed to beat the American Mike, and it took him until the last day to do it. Thank you again for all your support both before and after the race!

Ineke - strong to the end

2009-04-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

Ineke hasn't been able to email yet but she finished the last marathon 42km stage no problems, looking at the results. Her position at the finish is 364 out of the 806 who started. Her overall time was 35hours40'38, carrying a back pack with all her food and bedding, pretty amazing! Today she'll be enjoying the big social event after the finish. Hope to hear from her soon.

Stage 3 - 91km‏

2009-04-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello!  I survived the long stage - longest in the history of MdS at 91k.
I had a new running buddy today Anton (another Aussie), self christened 'Team Plod'.
Our goal was constant forward motion.
We went straight through all the checkpoints - I never sat down the whole time.

We finished just after 3am this morning with our time squeezing under the 18hr mark.
VERY HAPPY! It is now 3pm and there are still about 200 runners out there.

I am feeling well - no stomach troubles or anything, and only a couple of blisters,
so should still be able to go alright tomorrow.
Stage 4 is going to be the marathon stage (42k) and then we finish.
The last stage has had to be abandoned.
I got my emails before the long stage - thanks so much to you all for sending them,
it really makes a big difference.
ine xxx

Update from Byron

2009-04-02T02:11:00.000-07:00

The results have just been posted and Ineke is flying! She's finished the third, and longest ever stage in the race's history, - 91 kms!! The results show that she has moved up over 100 positions and has completed the stage in 17 hours 52 minutes. Her placing is now 25th woman overall and 1st Australian woman. Her average speed for the almost 28 hours running in total so far is 5.09kms an hour.

Although her aim was just to finish she's exceeding all expectations. We're looking forward to her next post and hope she has pulled up well.

Day two

2009-04-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Had another fab day today :) The stage was about 35km, mostly flat with some dunes. I am still blister free and feeling strong when I finished today. I ran with Caroline again for most of the day. We picked up another couple of Aussies for about 12km and then I went ahead for the last 5k or so. I am walking fine - not stiff and sore yet. Maybe tomorrow! The day was not too hot, although it got hotter towards the end of the day. It is definately an advantage coming out of our summer - if only it was as hot as usual it would make quite a big difference I think!Last night was so cold! We were all freezing in our tents. It was windy and very difficult to sleep. Tonight I will be wearing just about EVERYTHING to try and keep warm. It is hard when nobody has packed for the cold. Long stage tomorrow, so probably no update. Thats all for the moment. ine x

No update

2009-03-31T18:36:00.000-07:00

Ineke has not sent a new update to post, but if you look at the official race web site http://www.darbaround.com/index_uk.php
You can see that she has finished the second stage in a time of 5hr 46min with and average speed of 6.25 km/hr. we just hope she is still feeling well.

First day of action

2009-03-30T16:07:00.001-07:00


Hello! Had my first day racing today. The weather was fab, dunes beautiful and
I have pulled up feeling really good.

We ran about 33km. The first 12k was through the most amazing dunes - so beautiful!
After the first checpoint we ran across a salt flat, before hitting some hillls and
then another set of dunes.  My 8kg pack was a winner :)  I had LOADS of fun running
down the dunes!
I had a running buddy all day - Caroline who was a room mate of mine in the hotel.
We had a great day and were pleased to finish equal today.  We are hoping to run
together for the rest of the race.
We finished today in about 5.10 hours. VERY happy with my time!
To put it in perspective though, our Moroccan friends were finishing
not long after we went through the first checkpoint :)
We won't be getting any of our emails until tomorrow, so I am looking forward to
reading them then.
Here's to happy feet!
ine

Race still going ahead

2009-03-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

THE RACE IS STARTING TOMORROW (SORRY - cant find an exclaimation point on this keyboard)

The rain has stopped and we will be running stage 2 tomorrow. They are quite sure stage 3 will go ahead but not sure what will happen after that. The course has had to be re-routed, so no one knows what we will be up for.

It has been so et that the organisers apparently lost 2 trucks - one swept away in a river and one in a sand bog, which might indicate just how extreme the weatrher has been.

My room mates and I head a great night last night with the Moroccan runners. They are in the room next to ours and are our new best friends :) We had the top 5 runners pulling our packs apart and cutting stuff out (I am now down to 8kg which is pretty good. The Moroccans are just under 7kg). It was just fantastic - I have idolised those guys for years. They are amazing fun - you all have to cheer for the Ahnsal brothers and Samir (cant remember his last name). BTW my newly christened Moroccan name is Malika :)

Anyway - keep praying for dry weather for us and you should be able to watch the progress and email me tomorrow (or tonight Aus time). Dont forget to sponsor my run - I am risking my life in the floods for this!

SO excited to finally be getting ready to be underway. Wish me luck!

ine xxx

Still Raining

2009-03-28T21:36:00.001-07:00

Hello again. Things have not improved. We are still at the hotel. The first stage has been cancelled. No one is sure if the race can go on because the ground is so wet they think they cant get the trucks into the bivouacs. Also much of the course is along 'dry' riverbeds that are of course no longer dry but raging torrents. The race organisers are saying that they will do all they can to keep the race going, but I have just heard that there is more rain about to roll into town, so I think we are all about to cry. As you can i,agine, it is EXTREMELY dissappointing to say the least. I will try to keep you updated as we find out more. Sorry if the punctuation is a bit wierd. The french/arabic keyboard is very confusing.

Arrived in Morroco

2009-03-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Guess what!!! It is RAINING here, and instead of being at the bivouac we are now in a hotel for the night. The roads were flooded on the way here - we were stopped at a creek crossing for 3 hours before we decided to forge across anyway in the busses. Everyone is saying that it was a near death experience - the water was very deep and fast flowing.

We finally made it to the town at 8pm (we left at 9am) and - after another long wait - we are now installed in a hotel because the bivouac is under water! Who would have thought that I would come to Morocco to race in the desert and have it be flooded?

We are all hoping the rain will stop (the idea of sleeping in wet sleeping bags does not appeal to anyone) but now when the sun comes out it is going to be EXTREMELY humid.

Anyway - that is my update so far. Obviously I arrived here OK and made it to the hotel etc. I went for a run last night in Ouazazate and promptly got lost. Another lady was doing the same thing on Wednesday and fell over and broke her arm! SUCH bad luck. I think that is how I got lost - I was so busy looking at where I put my feet that I didn't watch the roads enough to find my way back. Got there after asking directions from a series of people that didn't speak English :)

Dont' forget to email me!!!

2009-03-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, you can send emails via the race website http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php, (Ineke Kuiper, race number 835). Race kicks off on Sunday 29th March.

PLEASE email me - I absolutely know it will really help me along :)

ine

Off to Morocco

2009-03-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am leaving the UK for Marrakech tomorrow. I am travelling alone down there, but meeting up with a bunch of runners in Marra where we have hired a minibus and are driving down to Ouazazate. I am starting to get very excited!

I don't know how often I will be able to send emails, but I will do my best. Byron (aka the wonder-husband) is going to do his best to keep the blog updated.

The other spot you can keep track of the race is via Lisa's (my US running coach and all round amazing person) blog http://lisasmithbatchen.blogspot.com/.

You can also follow the results on the race website http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php

Wish me luck!

ine

Sponsor my run!

2009-03-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Since I am going to great effort to drag my butt 250km across the Sahara, it would be great if you would sponsor me....

When I was travelling in Africa a couple of years ago, I was struck by just how little so many people have. I personally found the extent of AIDS epidemic in many African countries very confronting, with the number of infected reaching 50% of the population in some areas.

This epidemic is resulting in the death of the entire parent generation for many families, and the children are either completely alone or are being raised by grandparents.

Saidia Childrens Home in Kenya is a small charity funded 'house of hope' for orphaned and disadvantaged children in the town of Gilgil. They provide food, accommodation and education children, community projects helping local 'grannys' caring for their grandchildren and also work towards the goal of self sufficiency for the orphanage.

The organisation is a registered charity in the UK (No: 1099611), and all UK trustees and fund raisers, and the administration team in Kenya, work on an entirely voluntary basis, so every penny collected goes directly to the children.

Please visit the website to learn more about this great charity:
http://www.saidia-gilgil.org.uk/index.shtml

I would like to make it clear that ALL money donated will go straight to Saidia Childrens Home.

This is an issue that is very close to my heart, and it would really mean a lot to me if you would show your support for both me, and this charity, by sponsoring my run. No amount is to small - you would be amazed at what a difference even a few dollars can make to a childs life in Kenya.

Ways to donate:

PayPal
Log in, click on the tab 'Send Money', and send to my email: ine_kuiper@hotmail.com

Bank transfer:
Westpac - B Biffin & I Kuiper
BSB: 732 718
Acc: 678 455
Description: MDS sponsor

Or you could send it directly to the charity via the website (but if would be great if you could let me know so I can report back on how much we raise).

Thanks!

ine

Info about MdS - the toughest footrace on earth!

2009-03-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

OK. To set the scene, here are some links to give you some background on the race, how it all works....

Video of key facts from 2008
http://www.darbaroud.com/uk/html/mds/23mds/videos/uk_23mds_videos_keyfacts.php

And here is a link to the website of a guy who ran it last year and wrote a book about it. There are some excerpts that you can read (click on the magnifying glass on the left) and a link to a US news piece with some interviews and footage
http://www.tedarcher.com/

And here is the link to the official website where you will be able to email me throughout the race
http://www.darbaroud.com/index_uk.php
To email you will need my name (Ineke Kuiper of course!) and my race number is 835. I would LOVE to hear from you throughout the race, so please email as often as you can :) You will also be able to check the results on the website and see how I am progressing.

More info to come soon!

ine

Ine in UK!

2009-03-18T13:26:00.001-07:00

OK - as you may or may not know - I am not a blogger, but I am going to try so if you are interested in my run, you can follow my progress.

I am now in England. The weather is nice (for England - ie it is not raining). After a whirlwind arrival, I made it to the National Shire Horse Show on the weekend. Lots of lovely horses, and being outside during the day certainly helps with the jet lag - I hardly felt it at all!

I went for a little run, but really spent most of my time at the show.

Monday and Tuesday were a bit wasted. I went for a good run on Tuesday, but have to be careful where I go because I am not familiar with the area and get lost easily! I had a few bad experiences with the footpaths here (which are not like ours down the side of the road, but cut across the fields willy-nilly). I spotted a well signed one with a worn path, so thought I would be safe. I headed off down it (all good), over a few stiles (still good) and then out into a field, where the path promptly disappeared. This wouldn't have been too bad, except for the fact that the lovely green grass was hiding a BOG! I sank up to my ankles in mud - great. Not to worry, I decided, but I'll keep on anyway. So, I slogged it out over the field, but of course when I got to the other side I couldn't find the path. So I slogged it back and headed back to the road.

This happened TWICE. You would think I would have learnt the first time, but I guess once your shoes are covered in muck it doesn't really matter h0w many times you go through it. Anyway, I figured bog-running has got to be good training for sand dunes :)

Today I went to a Shire Horse sale. I was not tempted to buy anything, but found the constantly offered drinks (brandy and coke!?! Actually not as bad as it sounds) difficult to refuse. By this afternoon I was quite cheery and having a great time. The show and sale were handy, because it meant that I managed to catch up with EVERYONE here in the Shire scene without having to trip about much.

Tomorrow I am off to visit my best friend Joey. Can't wait! I'll have to go for a run in the morning before I set off though.

see you!

ine